Step-by-step Guide to Migrate WordPress Site To a New Host

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Are you fed up with your current host company?

I was fed up with GoDaddy hosting a few of my small projects. So, I decided to switch many of my websites to HostGator*.

However, I procrastinated for some time because moving multiple websites was a daunting task. I also couldn’t find any visual resources on how to do it (without destroying everything).

This guide will help you move the WordPress website you have built to a different host without destroying everything.

I recommend HostGator for starter websites and sites with a tight budget. Get a 60% Discount by signing up here

I use InMotion hosting for my more popular sites. This allows me to charge higher prices for better customer service. View their plans.

You can also check out my other hosting reviews or my guide for determining the best WordPress Hosting to suit your needs. These instructions are applicable to any host running cPanel.

Step 1: Set up a new web host

Summary:

Log in to the HostGator.com cPanel
To create a new user and database using mySQL Wizard (save the information),
Open File Manager to create a folder in the public_html directory.
Add the domain to Add-On Domain and point it at the folder you just created

Step 2 – Back up your website

*Note: Before you get any of your old stuff back, it is a good idea to delete any unneeded themes, plugins and themes from your website. You should make no changes to your website once you have completed this Part.

Summary:

Log in to your old host (such as GoDaddy).
Log in to phpMyAdmin to navigate to your databases
Choose the database from your WordPress site and then export it.
From the Export menu, click on select All’ or ‘SQL.
From the Structure menu, select ‘add Drop Table’ or ‘add Auto_Increment Value’.
Choose ‘Complete Inserts’ or ‘Use Hexadecimal for Binary Files’ from Data
All other values can be left as is
After you have selected all settings, click on “save as” to save them.
Now, open FileZilla or any FTP client and log in to your old host
Choose the folder that best describes your website
Save the entire folder to your Desktop

Step 3 – Upload to Your New Web Hosting Provider

Summary:

Log in to Databases -> PHPMyAdmin
Select the Part 1 database you created
Import the downloaded data
Connect to the new host by going back to FileZilla
Navigate to Part 1 and open the folder.
Open the folder you downloaded from the old host in the left pane
To ensure that everything is selected, I use CTRL+A.
Upload the files, not the folder, to the folder on your new host

Step 4 – Validate Transfer

Summary:

FileZilla will show you the new host folder to wp-config.php
Right-click the file and open it with NotePad, TextEdit or NotePad++
Look for a section with this look:

code >/** Name of the WordPress database */

define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘cpuser_dbname‘);

*//

define(‘DB_USER’, ‘cpuser_uname‘);

/** MySQL database password */

define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘******‘);

/** MySQL hostname */

define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost‘);

The bolded sections should be replaced with the information in the Part 1 database.
The database name, username and password will be displayed. If HostGator is used, DB_Host will be used.
Save the file
Scroll down to find the IP address of your server.
(The next steps can vary depending on how you register your domain)
Change the www Record and A Record at the domain you are registered to to your IP address on the new server.
Take a look at your website and make sure everything is in order.
Congratulations!

If you don’t have HostGator yet, you should sign up for it. You can also get InMotion for more affordable pricing and better customer support.